THN.com Blog: Don't take the fun out of hockey

Jaromir Jagr and Mario Lemieux talk with an official. Will the NHL be able to send its stars to the 2014 Olympics?

Edward Fraser
2007-11-29 13:31:07

When I was a kid growing up in London, Ont. – a city two hours southwest of Toronto, for those not from around these parts – hockey was life.

My last thoughts before my tired little mind drifted off to sleep concerned the game. And my first considerations upon waking up immediately focused on pounding down breakfast as quickly as possible so I could grab my stick and head out the door.

It was street hockey all the time. Whether it was 35 degrees in July or minus 20 in January, if there was another youngster willing to bear the elements, I was out there.

The reason for this, as I look back at its very essence, is simple: Hockey was fun.

And that’s why it was disheartening to hear Wednesday’s news that the NHL is considering not shutting down to allow players to take part in the 2014 Olympic Games in Russia.

For me, the Olympics are better with the world’s best involved. And not having the top players in the mix takes some of the fun out of the tournament.

I’m fully aware of the detriments that go along with allowing NHLers to participate, but the pros outweigh the cons – even if the only pro is the fact that watching best-on-best action every four years is…fun.

Too often, and this is yet another instance, the NHL puts business concerns - under the guise of “it’s good for the game” - ahead of the best interests of its fan.